OFFF and a Typhoon

The best laid plans and all that...

My intention was to leave OFFF around noon, go back to the old house, pack another load, then speed off to the cottage with plenty of time to beat the worst of the storm.  Instead, I left at night and drove through the heart of it, with huge gusts threatening to blow me right off the road.

The reason for my lateness was so excellent, I can't possibly have any regrets.  I managed to get a spot in Diana Cason's workshop on rabbit health and medical emergencies.  What a great workshop!  I got at least double my $50 in information, and it was so great to be able to pick the brain of such a knowledgeable veteran of rabbit husbandry.  Diana is frank, intelligent, personable, and an all-around excellent teacher.

I'm stressing out a bit about how I will manage to build a new rabbitry on my non-existent budget.  The bun-buns are still in Portland, which bothers me more than a little.  I want to get them all set up so that I can be more aware of their daily health and well-being.  It feels terribly frustrating to still be in transition.  That is, it's frustrating and stressful, but I can't even believe how minute those emotions feel after the way I've felt for the past couple of years.  They're just blips at this point.

I had my first class today - nothing remarkable - just the intro session with no content.  I'm starting to realize that this life is real...

Finally, and most importantly, this morning I drove through a rainbow.  The road through the forest is elevated above a drained (dammed) river valley for a few miles, and there was that magic combination of rain and sunshine that births a rainbow.  The rainbow was in the river valley, below the level of the road except for a bit of the top of the arch, and I drove right through it!  I've never seen a rainbow from its own level before.  A few minutes later there was another one, but the trees broke it up before the road reached it.

If you live in most of this country, it's hard to internalize in a serious and personal way how precious and how endangered the American West really is.  The forest I live in is where the famous battle occurred between loggers and environmentalists over the Spotted Owl, but that is not a thing of the past.  I know activists today who do "forest work", and big trucks full of logs drive by my home several times an hour all day long.  I pass by a huge dam and the massive lake it creates, as well as the drained river valley, every time I drive to Eugene.  I don't understand how anyone can see this land and not want to protect it, and it DOES feel personal and serious to me.  It never did when I just saw photos or films of this place.  It was hard to believe that it was real and that it still exists alongside the modern human world.  But it IS here, so real.  How will we keep it?

Oregon Flock and Fiber

I went to OFFF today, and the weather was CRAZY!  The wind was something else, making it scary to drive, and the vendors had much trouble with their tents.  I tried to watch some of the sheep judging, and it was too hard to deal with the sideways blowing rain and all of the mulch from the ring blowing in my face. I love the wind, though, and it was still warm enough for a light sweater.

It seems that, despite my best intentions, I never get much spinning done at these festivals.  I mostly shopped for supplies for my Etsy shop, somehow stumbled into buying yet more raw wool (I just fell, and when I got back up there was all this wool - I don't know what happened!), and met lots of animals.  I don't think that I will ever get over my love for Shetland sheep.  Is there a more beautiful animal???  Maybe a fennec fox?  But seriously, they are the most beautiful sheep, with their tiny, delicate legs and wild, shaggy coats, and the massive curling horns on the rams.  Also, I've met many a Shetland ram who begs for chin skritches, and I indulged a couple of them who got so into it that they fell asleep in bliss.  Also also also, I know a lady who shears sheep, and she told me that her friend turned a little baby stroller into a shearing chair because the Shetlands were too adorably tiny to fit in a normal shearing chair AND she left the baby pink canopy on it.  Hello! So yeah, one of the great dreams of my life is to have a tiny flock of tiny Shetland sheep. And a livestock guardian dog, like a Great Pyrenees.  And...and...and....

Whew!

I bought three fleeces, all gorgeous, and all very different from one another:

First up is a grey and black stunner from Wolf Ridge Icelandics.  They are such nice folks!  I spent a chunk of time at their booth last year, and they remembered me.  They'll teach you how to crochet roving rugs if you ask.

This one is a Corriedale cross lamb from Critter Hollar Ranch in Yamhill, OR.  They were sharing a booth with Bide-a-wee Farm, who breeds the best Jacobs and some lovely Churros.  They're in Newberg.

Finally, here's the one I've been waiting for these last couple of months - the long-promised Rambouillet X Cheviot from Two Roans Ranch in Maupin, OR.  Corrine met me at the show and let me pick out a fleece.  I'm waiting with bated breath to find out if she'll be able to sell me the fleece off a churro ram she brought to the show - it's the color of rich caramel on the outside and deep mocha underneath, and long like you would not believe!  I wish I had taken a photo, but photos were limited by the extremely dark and cloudy sky.  It's hellish hard in the Pacific NW to take any photos in natural light from September through June!

(The parking lot fleece sale is tomorrow.  Hold me!)

All in all, it was a great day of petting sheep and bunnies, sticking my hands in good, raw fleece and taking in that sheepy smell, and dedicating my time to what I love among the rain and the dear, high wind.  More tomorrow when the festival wraps up.

More fibers at Gossamer

I have been working my tail off preparing fibers and stitch markers for the shop! Rose at Gossamer took everything I brought her, which is great, because I don't know when I'll be in Portland next.  The next round is all Etsy. For now, if you want to check out my work in person, visit Gossamer in Portland.  She has a large stock of batts, angora fiber, wool locks on small packs for felting or blending, stitch markers, and some hand-pulled striped merino silk roving.

The Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival is tomorrow and Sunday, and I will be picking up a fleece or two from Corrine at Two Roans Ranch similar to the one from Robin that I featured a while ago.  Photos to follow, I'm sure...

Fibers at Gossamer!

It was a big day.  I decided that while I was in Portland, I should check in with an LYS, Gossamer.  It's an adorable shop, with lots of dyed fiber and felt sheets, yarn, and wee sweet sundries by local artists. If you're into felting or if you need Waldorf supplies, this is your spot.  I had spoken with the proprietor in the past about consignment. I finally brought her some fiber and stitch markers, and she loved them! I do so much of my creative work in a vacuum, so it's amazing for me to get some positive feedback.  So the next time you're on E. Burnside in Portland, pop into Gossamer. You're practically guaranteed to find something irresistible in there.

The down side to this is that the Etsy shop is a bit sparse now, and I need to dye some wool before I can stock up again.  It will be a solid week before new batts are in the shop.

The other great news of the day is that I heard from the wheel guy, and my flyers are on their way! The upright German parlor wheel and the Frank Fell wheels will be ready to use! That leaves only two wheels needing parts - both great wheels in need of spindles. The Fell wheel is one of my favorites, so I'm especially excited to have him back in spinning condition.

I'm spending the evening working on the old house. I'm nursing a nasty headache from chemical exposure (spray wall texture - NASTY!)  It's amazing how much I've transformed this house, and how much work remains...

Bunny Drama Resolved

When I went home to Westfir, I had to bring a bunny with me to recover from a bad fight with another bunny.  I had just shorn him (with little concern for his appearance or dignity), and he had no protection from the rabbit who beat him up.  It happened so quickly, and all I could do was deal with the aftermath.  I brought his best bunny friend with him to keep his spirits up, and they're both doing so well.

This photo was right after the fight, and you can see that he's looking a little bit loopy.  He's back to himself now, bouncing around and munching on everything.

The Trestle and the Pool

I pretty much lost my entire summer to illness and to being overwhelmed with work and school, and I got to Westfir with only a few days left of it.  Autumn is my season, but summer is good for taking the dog out to play and for swimming in the river.  We went up on the ridge on Monday, and found a beautiful trail into the woods.

We found another spot with access to the river just a short hike up the ridge and down through the woods.  It’s stunningly beautiful, the water absolutely clear and very still, due to the presence of a great downed tree and many rocks that slow down the flow and create a shallow pool in that part of the river.  It may be man-made, because there are some ruins of an unidentifiable structure on the shore.  Theo, of course, had a grand time.

Yesterday, the fall blew in with force.  I woke to the first drops of a rain storm that lasted until the late afternoon, and last night it was cold enough that I had to turn on the heat for 20 minutes.  I run hot, so it doesn't take much to warm me.  The sunset was amazing, pink fire in the west as the mist draped itself across the eastern foothills, even drifting deep into the valley.  I spent the morning making things and photographing them - my total for the last few days was 4 batts and 17 sets of stitch markers.

I drove into Eugene in the afternoon to buy supplies and use some WiFi to complete a major shop update. I’m rather proud of myself for getting so much done, although nothing has sold and I worry a bit about getting a small cash flow to keep dog food coming in.  I’ll be putting up flyers in Eugene and Oakridge for spinning and knitting lessons, so hopefully I can get a couple of students.

Eugene is a sweet city.  I can’t speak for the culture with authority while I’m so new to it, but people have been very kind, with the endearing Northwestern habit of actually making eye contact and smiling – that was very hard for this East Coast girl to get used to at first, although I love it now.  So far, I think that I will like it much more than Portland.  There are lots of strange and appealing little businesses, and the food is better.  Getting out of town is easy, and the forest is Right There.  We went to the dog park, and it was pretty posh, with three kiddie pools for wading and a smaller, separately-fenced park for tiny dogs.  On the way into town, I stopped for hay at a feed store right off the highway in Pleasant Hill, and it was by far the best quality and cheapest hay I've bought.  Granted, it is that time of year, but the hay in Portland isn't nearly as nice.  This stuff was probably harvested just down the way; no reason to truck it all the way to the city.

The houseplants are nearly all settled in, and all but 2 spinning wheels are here, so this place is really feeling like home.  I have to go back to Portland today to finish up things at the old house and do some renovations in exchange for not paying August rent.  It’s hard for me to leave this place.

Robin Batts are in the shop

Remember Robin, the extra-lofty Rambouillet x Cheviot? Her batts are in the shop.  I'm lucky to fit two ounces of her wool on the carder at once, it's SO fluffy and doesn't compact at all!

Battttttts!

From the Fancy Kitty Big Tom - so much fun!  One has sold, but the rest are in the Etsy shop.

D. Willson Great Wheel

About a month ago, I scored an amazing great wheel at a vintage shop.  It had no spinning head and was missing a chunk of its axle bearing.  I haggled pretty hard for it, because it had some serious faults and because I REALLY loved the tensioning system, and I didn't have much money to spend.

When I got it home, I "fixed" the broken axle bearing with some polymer clay.  It worked so well!  The clay shrunk when baked, and I installed it while it was still hot, and it expanded just a bit as it cooled and filled the space beautifully.  I used a bit of wheat paste to glue it in a completely reversible way. (The schmutz on the hub in the photo is wheat paste that I later wiped up.  I also intentionally got a bright white clay to contrast with the existing bearing to make it easy to spot and remove someday when I get a real bearing installed.)

I love my (now former) neighbor:

"Do you have a spoonful of wheat flour?" "Yes... but it's really old and maybe inedible." "That's okay, I need it to make some adhesive to fix my new spinning wheel." "Oh, okay then, I'll go get it for you."

...most natural thing in the world, don't you think?

Anyway, the wheel is incredible.  The maker stamped it 13 times at the front of the table, all the bits are beautifully (but not elaborately) turned, the wheel rim is true and has a groove (Oh how I have wanted a grooved great wheel!) and it spins so beautifully!

I demonstrated at Art in the Pearl on Labor Day.  Last year I brought the Vezina CPW, and this time I brought the great wheel.  As last year, the wheel drew a huge crowd, and I got some good spinning done and evangelized to a few aspiring spinners about the goodness of saving these grand old ladies from becoming weathered porch decorations.  It was a fine end to my time in Portland.

Time to talk... time for everything

Well, it has finally happened.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for me.  I turned 33 (finally!  the magic age!) and I moved (most of the way) into my dream location in the middle of the forest outside of Eugene.  Somehow, with complete trust in the All, I sent my wishes out into the world, threw my trust and efforts behind them, and they manifested in ways that I could have never dreamed.  I pointed to a tiny town on the map, and that town is now my home.  I wished (without hope!) to have gardens, to live alone, to have space to spin and weave, to be able to bring all of my animals (6 rabbits, 6 chickens, and my dog and cat) - all of these things have happened.

My words here will likely be many, but sporadic and in waves, because I get no Internet and barely any phone reception in my isolated forest home.  However, I will have so much more to talk about!  I've only spent 4 days there so far, but I've had so many Adventures!

My town has 260 residents.  It's a former logging town in the middle of the Willamette National Forest.  I've never been able to leave Portland very often since I moved there in 2006, so I had no idea that Oregon was the site of a renaissance in covered bridge building, and many of those bridges survive.  One of them is a five-minute walk from my house.

On the other side of the bridge, several riverside trails begin.  There are bats everywhere at night, and a snake scooted across our path as we walked, and I had to restrain my dog from chasing it!  

Theo got to swim in the river.  He likes to bite the water as he swims, and he finds splashing absolutely maddening.  This was maybe the third time I ever saw him swim.  It was over 90 outside, so he needed no encouragement to jump right in!

We spend yesterday morning spinning on the deck (cormo on a CPW - the perfect combination), listening to the cries of a hawk in the distance, and enjoying the wind that sweeps through the valley.

A great wheel has found its home at the front of the house, with lots of natural light and a forest view.

And here are the views from my bedroom and from the sewing/weaving/wool processing room (yeah!):

There's a creek running behind the house, with forest beyond, and the entire front yard is full of vegetable beds and fruit trees. The surrounding trees are a good mix of deciduous trees and conifers, so we should get some fall color.

At this point, I'm still too breathless to write well.  More soon?